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Being A Scary Mommy

So, I write this weekly column for Cafe Mom’s The Stir. It’s an awesome gig; every week I submit some sort of fun countdown and in return, they pay me. I know, right? It’s the very best kind of work.

The posts over there are the same tone as here– highly sarcastic and meant to be taken with a grain of salt. Most weeks, the comments I receive are broken into two camps: Wonderfully supportive and fucking asshole; there is really no middle ground. This week’s topic was Lies Mothers Tell and the response was no different. Some moms piped in with lies they spewed to their offspring: The ice cream truck plays music when it’s all out of ice cream, (genius!) that mother’s have eyes in the backs of our heads (my children totally believe this ever since they tested me as I was sitting at my reflective computer screen– score!) and that Chuck E. Cheese doesn’t allow mothers in the door. (Mark my words: I will never step foot in that hell-hole.)

And then there are the other mothers. The ones who always leave comments like this:

“I don’t tell any of these to my kids, and I don’t see how lying to your children is something to brag about.”

“I’m so glad I don’t treat my son like he’s stupid. And I’m so glad I actually parent instead of lying to him because telling the truth is just ‘so hard’ and ‘inconvenient’. Whatever. Be a happy member of the Lying Mothers Club. I’ll stick with honesty.”

“Wow. Lying to your kids is something you proudly post about? I think you really might be the bottom of the barrel type of parent. This isn’t funny, isn’t admirable and I truly hope my children never cross paths with yours.”

“I realize this is a bit tongue in check but the thought that it’s quite alright to lie to children and encouraged in some instances is disgusting. I am aware EVERY TIME I lie to my child… I just don’t think lying should be part of “good parenting.”

“Lying to your kid is horrible parenting. If you have to lie, then you’re doing it wrong.”

Every week as I scroll through comments like these, I am struck by a few things: 1. People need to lighten the hell up. 2. Who are these women who take things so seriously that they leave comments like this on a humor column? and 3. How can I assure that I never, ever run into them in real life?

But, even more so: Why does tearing other mothers down seem to make some people feel better about their own parenting? Are they so insecure that they need to bash other people in order to feel OK about themselves? Do they just have no sense of humor? Or, do they just not like mine? Yes, I sometimes lie to my children. I sometimes ignore them. I have let them eat off of the floor if it gets them to digest their veggies. I do a million things that other mothers judge me for. But, I would rather find the humor in my lack of “perfect parenting” than pick apart other people. And it allows me time to actually enjoy my kids instead of trolling the internet to judge other moms. Which seems like a far better use of time. If you ask me.